Blogroll
- @Number71
- A Dribble Of Ink
- A Fantasy Reader
- Adventures In Reading
- Bastard Books
- Bibliophile Stalker
- Big Dumb Object
- Bitten By Books
- Boing Boing
- Book Country
- Bookgeeks
- Bookworm Blues
- Caleigh's Blog
- Charlotte's Library
- Cheryl's Mewsings
- Civilian Reader
- Critical Mass
- Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews
- Dreams & Speculation
- Drying Ink
- Edi's Book Lighthouse
- Everything is Nice
- Falcata Times
- Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews
- Fantasy Book News
- Fantasy Literature
- Far Beyond Reality
- Feminist SF
- Floor To Ceiling Books
- Free SF Reader
- GalleyCat
- Gav Reads
- Genre Reader
- Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
- Grasping For The Wind
- Greg Hamerton
- Guy With Book
- Hellnotes
- Hero Complex
- Horror Reanimated
- HorrorScope
- io9
- Jeff VanderMeer
- King of the Nerds
- Layers of Thought
- Mentajack
- Mithril Wisdom
- My Favourite Books
- Myrmidon Books
- Mysterious Outposts
- Neth Space
- Omnivoracious
- Only The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
- Pyr-O-Mania
- Reading The Leaves
- Realms of Speculative Fiction
- Rob's Blog O' Stuff
- Sandstorm Reviews
- Sci Fi Songs
- SciFiChick.com
- SciFiGuy
- Speculative Book Review
- Speculative Fiction Junkie
- Stainless Steel Droppings
- Stomping On Yeti
- Suvudu
- Tez Says
- The Agony Column
- The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.
- The Book Smugglers
- The Broken Bullhorn
- The Fantasy Bookshelf
- The Green Man Review
- The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review
- The Night Bazaar
- The OF Blog
- The Overlook Press
- The Ranting Dragon
- The Speculative Scotsman
- The Stamp (of Approval)
- The Wertzone
- The World in the Satin Blog
- Tor.com
- Upcoming4.me
- Val's Random Comments
- Variety SF
- Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic
- Voyager Books
- Walker of Worlds
- Whatever
- When Gravity Fails
- Zeno Agency
Blog Archive
-
►
2012
(105)
-
►
May
(22)
- "Princeps" by L.E. Modesitt (Reviewed by Liviu Suc...
- Interview with Joseph Robert Lewis (Interviewed by...
- Guest Post: Dragoneers Saga Answers from my Twitte...
- The Dark Knight Rises Fan Art (By Mihir Wanchoo)
- "Metropolitan" and "City on Fire" by Walter Jon Wi...
- Blood Of The Underworld by David Dalglish (Reviewe...
- "More Detail on Three Upcoming Novels of the Highe...
- "No Going Back" by Mark Van Name (Reviewed by Livi...
- WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY: Win an Omnibus Edition of Davi...
- The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham (Reviewed by Li...
- Dragon Poems for Smiletrain: An Anthology For Char...
- GUEST POST: Sequels And Satisfying Endings by Davi...
- "Child of all Nations" by Irmgard Keun (Reviewed b...
- Masterpiece of SF: "Brain Child" by George Turner ...
- "Lehrter Station (John Russell #5)" by David Downi...
- GIVEAWAY: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
- "Last Will" by Bryn Greenwood (Reviewed by Liviu S...
- The Written by Ben Galley (Reviewed by Mihir Wanch...
- "The Black Opera" by Mary Gentle (Reviewed by Livi...
- Shadow On The Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler (Reviewed b...
- Demon Squad: Echoes Of The Past by Tim Marquitz (R...
- The Junkie Quatrain by Peter Clines (Reviewed by M...
-
►
April
(10)
- A Chat/Interview between Bradley P. Beaulieu & Rob...
- Walter Jon Williams Releasing his Backlist as eBoo...
- The Other Gemmell (by Mihir Wanchoo)
- Tricked by Kevin Hearne (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo...
- Three Shorter Reviews, Dan Vyleta, Lavie Tidhar an...
- "Women in Science Fiction & Fantasy Month" at Fant...
- "Kino" by Jurgen Fauth (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)
- Irenicon by Aidan Harte (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo...
- Upcoming Book Cover Art (By Mihir Wanchoo)
- GUEST POST: On Monsters and Miracles by Aidan Hart...
-
►
March
(20)
- Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction edited...
- The 2012 Arthur Clarke Shortlist and the Critical ...
- Blood Skies by Steven Montano (Reviewed by Mihir W...
- "Twilight Forever Rising" by Lena Meydan (Reviewed...
- A Few Announcements and Lists (by Liviu Suciu)
- The Pillars of Hercules by David Constantine with ...
- Winners of the Legend Of Eli Monpress Giveaway and...
- Steampunk Novella Thoughts: Omar The Immortal and ...
- More Details about "No Going Back" by Mark Van Nam...
- "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis (Reviewed by C...
- GUEST POST: Corrupted Absolutely: Thoughts by Linc...
- More Details about "Worldsoul" by Liz Williams an...
- "The Ruined City" by Paula Brandon (reviewed by Li...
- Fated by Benedict Jacka (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo...
- "The Thief" by Fuminori Nakamura (Reviewed by Livi...
- GUEST POST: Ernst Dabel on his Upcoming Novel ALBI...
-
►
May
(22)
Read An Interview with GRRM, Gardner Dozois & Daniel Abraham via Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
According to the ‘Afterword’ that was included at the end of the UK edition (Released September 3, 2007), “Hunter’s Run” is a story that’s been in the making for over thirty years, originally germinating in 1976 as an idea in the mind of fifteen-time Hugo Award-winning science fiction author/editor Gardner Dozois (The Year’s Best Science Fiction 1984-2004), before George R.R. Martin of the New York Times-bestselling A Song of Ice & Fire fantasy series got his hands on it and helped shape the tale into the “Shadow Twin” novella. It wasn’t until newcomer Daniel Abraham (The Long Price Quartet, GRRM’s Wild Cards) came into the picture though that the novella was actually completed and then released in limited edition via Subterranean Press (September 2005). However, GRRM always envisioned the story as a novel, and in 2007 that dream finally became a reality when “Hunter’s Run” was published in the UK (Voyager Books) with the book making it’s US debut (January 8, 2008) thanks to EOS.
First off, let’s get a few things straight. One, even though it took thirty years for “Hunter’s Run” to see publication, the tale is a timeless one and is just as relevant today as it would be in the 70s. Two, if you’re worried about how the writing styles of three different authors might clash in a single book, don’t be. The prose in “Hunter’s Run” is surprisingly synchronized throughout the entire novel, and in fact, it would be impossible to tell that three different people worked on the book if we didn’t already know ahead of time. Lastly, “Hunter’s Run” is a particular kind of science fiction novel, so if you’re in the mood for some hard SF, space opera, cyberpunk, military SF or a post-apocalyptic story, then you’ll probably be disappointed. What “Hunter’s Run” offers is more of a psychological drama. Sure, the setting is pure science fiction taking place in the far future on the colonized planet São Paulo, and you have aliens, space ships and whatnot, but the self-contained story is all about one man’s thought-provoking and emotionally intimate journey of self-discovery. In the authors’ own words—which can be found in the Q&A at the end of “Hunter’s Run” the UK edition—the novel is a ‘morality tale’, influenced by the likes of Mark Twain (Huckleberry Finn) and Ursula K. Le Guin (Left Hand of Darkness)…
Now, for a tale of this kind to work you have to have a strong protagonist and Ramon Espejo stands out for a couple of reasons. Obviously the character’s ethnic descent is one of them since we don’t see too many Hispanic heroes in speculative fiction literature. That, and basing São Paulo’s human colony on South & Central American cultures was a nice touch since it gave the book and characters a distinctive flavor. For me though, what I really liked about Ramon is that he’s not your typical good guy. He’s foul-mouthed, angry, doesn’t really get along with other people, hits his girlfriend, and is not afraid of killing a person in a bar fight. In short, Ramon Espejo is not very likeable and it’s hard to think of him as a hero, but that’s what make’s his story so compelling. After all, the heart of the novel is exploring the kind of person that Ramon is, the decisions he makes—like why he killed the European in the first place or why he stays with the crazy Elena even though he doesn’t really like her—, the hard truths that he comes to realize about himself, and what it’s going to take in order to change. Like I said, it’s a lot of psychological drama but Ramon’s journey wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if he was your standard goodie-two-shoes as opposed to the tough, flawed SOB that the authors make him out to be.
As far as Ramon’s journey, it’s not very hard to follow. Essentially, Espejo learns that the European he killed in a bar fight was actually an ambassador of Europa and that the governor of São Paulo is now hellbent on finding the murderer. So, Ramon takes off into the wilds on a prospecting run to let things cool down and while there makes a startling discovery: a hidden race of unidentified aliens! Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one to see the aliens and before he knows it, Ramon’s being employed by the very same aliens as a tool to track down and ‘negate’ the poor fellow in order to ‘restore balanced flow’. What makes the manhunt so fascinating is a jaw-dropping twist which introduces a multitude of unique thematic dynamics that were some of the highlights of the story. Alas, I can’t talk about any of them without spoiling the fun ;) So instead, I’d like to focus on the interaction between Ramon and the alien called Maneck, which was almost as interesting and quite humorous. Basically, Ramon is joined to the alien by the umbilical cord-like sahael, and the first part of the hunt is spent with the two trying to understand each other—for Maneck it was grasping such human needs as food, water, bodily waste and sleep as well as the concept of freedom, killing and hunting, while Ramon had to figure out such alien ideas as tatecreude (purpose), aubre (contradiction), retehue (sentience), et cetera. Which actually brings me to one of my favorite parts of the book. In a couple of recent reviews, I wondered why more speculative fiction authors didn’t establish their own unique ecosystem when writing a fantasy or SF novel. Well, the writers in “Hunter’s Run” do just that, and it’s absolutely fabulous! From the cultures of the Enye and Maneck’s ‘people’ to the wildlife of São Paulo, I just had a blast exploring the book’s alien setting, and once again find myself wishing that more authors would do the same… Going back to the plot, there were a couple of other little curveballs that the authors throw at us like why the aliens were hiding in the first place and what kind of creatures the Enye really are, but for the most part “Hunter’s Run” is about Ramon Espejo and mankind in general, and in that regard the writers do a wonderful job of examining the different aspects of humanity…
In wrapping up, I wouldn’t go so far to say that “Hunter’s Run” is a “new benchmark in modern SF” as the press release states, but it is an extraordinary and evocative morality tale that really does make us think about what it means to be human, while also providing a ton of laughs, creativity and adventure along the way. About the only problems I had with the novel was one suspension of disbelief that I can’t talk about because of the twist, and the Enye who could have benefited from further development. Other than that, I thought the book delivered despite the lofty expectations. After all, how can you not have high hopes for a novel that features two living legends in GRRM and Gardner Dozois!? Of course, while George & Gardner may bring the cred, I thought Daniel Abraham was the glue, and the more material that I read by the author, the more impressed I am, and if Daniel can keep producing at a high level I really think he’s going to be something special. So do yourself a big favor and give “Hunter’s Run” a chance. It may not redefine the genre, but it’s still better than a lot of speculative fiction that’s out there. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to get better acquainted with two masters of SF/fantasy literature and one seriously talented up-and-comer…
NOTE: There are four different versions of “Hunter’s Run”. Between the two mass market releases, the main difference is aesthetics with the US version sporting a better cover (in my opinion) and also an interior map of São Paulo, while the UK version features an interesting ‘Afterword’ and a Q&A with all three authors. Subterranean Press is also offering two limited edition versions of “Hunter’s Run”—a signed hardcover copy numbered out of 500 and a signed deluxe bound hardcover copy housed in a custom traycase that is limited to 26. Both versions will feature cover artwork and interior illustrations by the award-winning Bob Eggleton. You can preorder the limited editions HERE.
First off, let’s get a few things straight. One, even though it took thirty years for “Hunter’s Run” to see publication, the tale is a timeless one and is just as relevant today as it would be in the 70s. Two, if you’re worried about how the writing styles of three different authors might clash in a single book, don’t be. The prose in “Hunter’s Run” is surprisingly synchronized throughout the entire novel, and in fact, it would be impossible to tell that three different people worked on the book if we didn’t already know ahead of time. Lastly, “Hunter’s Run” is a particular kind of science fiction novel, so if you’re in the mood for some hard SF, space opera, cyberpunk, military SF or a post-apocalyptic story, then you’ll probably be disappointed. What “Hunter’s Run” offers is more of a psychological drama. Sure, the setting is pure science fiction taking place in the far future on the colonized planet São Paulo, and you have aliens, space ships and whatnot, but the self-contained story is all about one man’s thought-provoking and emotionally intimate journey of self-discovery. In the authors’ own words—which can be found in the Q&A at the end of “Hunter’s Run” the UK edition—the novel is a ‘morality tale’, influenced by the likes of Mark Twain (Huckleberry Finn) and Ursula K. Le Guin (Left Hand of Darkness)…Now, for a tale of this kind to work you have to have a strong protagonist and Ramon Espejo stands out for a couple of reasons. Obviously the character’s ethnic descent is one of them since we don’t see too many Hispanic heroes in speculative fiction literature. That, and basing São Paulo’s human colony on South & Central American cultures was a nice touch since it gave the book and characters a distinctive flavor. For me though, what I really liked about Ramon is that he’s not your typical good guy. He’s foul-mouthed, angry, doesn’t really get along with other people, hits his girlfriend, and is not afraid of killing a person in a bar fight. In short, Ramon Espejo is not very likeable and it’s hard to think of him as a hero, but that’s what make’s his story so compelling. After all, the heart of the novel is exploring the kind of person that Ramon is, the decisions he makes—like why he killed the European in the first place or why he stays with the crazy Elena even though he doesn’t really like her—, the hard truths that he comes to realize about himself, and what it’s going to take in order to change. Like I said, it’s a lot of psychological drama but Ramon’s journey wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if he was your standard goodie-two-shoes as opposed to the tough, flawed SOB that the authors make him out to be.
As far as Ramon’s journey, it’s not very hard to follow. Essentially, Espejo learns that the European he killed in a bar fight was actually an ambassador of Europa and that the governor of São Paulo is now hellbent on finding the murderer. So, Ramon takes off into the wilds on a prospecting run to let things cool down and while there makes a startling discovery: a hidden race of unidentified aliens! Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one to see the aliens and before he knows it, Ramon’s being employed by the very same aliens as a tool to track down and ‘negate’ the poor fellow in order to ‘restore balanced flow’. What makes the manhunt so fascinating is a jaw-dropping twist which introduces a multitude of unique thematic dynamics that were some of the highlights of the story. Alas, I can’t talk about any of them without spoiling the fun ;) So instead, I’d like to focus on the interaction between Ramon and the alien called Maneck, which was almost as interesting and quite humorous. Basically, Ramon is joined to the alien by the umbilical cord-like sahael, and the first part of the hunt is spent with the two trying to understand each other—for Maneck it was grasping such human needs as food, water, bodily waste and sleep as well as the concept of freedom, killing and hunting, while Ramon had to figure out such alien ideas as tatecreude (purpose), aubre (contradiction), retehue (sentience), et cetera. Which actually brings me to one of my favorite parts of the book. In a couple of recent reviews, I wondered why more speculative fiction authors didn’t establish their own unique ecosystem when writing a fantasy or SF novel. Well, the writers in “Hunter’s Run” do just that, and it’s absolutely fabulous! From the cultures of the Enye and Maneck’s ‘people’ to the wildlife of São Paulo, I just had a blast exploring the book’s alien setting, and once again find myself wishing that more authors would do the same… Going back to the plot, there were a couple of other little curveballs that the authors throw at us like why the aliens were hiding in the first place and what kind of creatures the Enye really are, but for the most part “Hunter’s Run” is about Ramon Espejo and mankind in general, and in that regard the writers do a wonderful job of examining the different aspects of humanity…
In wrapping up, I wouldn’t go so far to say that “Hunter’s Run” is a “new benchmark in modern SF” as the press release states, but it is an extraordinary and evocative morality tale that really does make us think about what it means to be human, while also providing a ton of laughs, creativity and adventure along the way. About the only problems I had with the novel was one suspension of disbelief that I can’t talk about because of the twist, and the Enye who could have benefited from further development. Other than that, I thought the book delivered despite the lofty expectations. After all, how can you not have high hopes for a novel that features two living legends in GRRM and Gardner Dozois!? Of course, while George & Gardner may bring the cred, I thought Daniel Abraham was the glue, and the more material that I read by the author, the more impressed I am, and if Daniel can keep producing at a high level I really think he’s going to be something special. So do yourself a big favor and give “Hunter’s Run” a chance. It may not redefine the genre, but it’s still better than a lot of speculative fiction that’s out there. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to get better acquainted with two masters of SF/fantasy literature and one seriously talented up-and-comer…NOTE: There are four different versions of “Hunter’s Run”. Between the two mass market releases, the main difference is aesthetics with the US version sporting a better cover (in my opinion) and also an interior map of São Paulo, while the UK version features an interesting ‘Afterword’ and a Q&A with all three authors. Subterranean Press is also offering two limited edition versions of “Hunter’s Run”—a signed hardcover copy numbered out of 500 and a signed deluxe bound hardcover copy housed in a custom traycase that is limited to 26. Both versions will feature cover artwork and interior illustrations by the award-winning Bob Eggleton. You can preorder the limited editions HERE.
8:35 AM | 
Posted by
Robert |
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
FBC Info
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review June
NOTEWORTHY RELEASES
Review tbd
6 comments:
Wow, this sounds fascinating. I'm a sucker for a good psychological drama, especially with an antihero as the protag.
Well, I definitely think you might like this book then :)
In the middle of the book right now; found this site by searching on Alta Vista for "tatecreude."
It's an astonishingly quick read; I got the thing in the mail from the Sci Fi book club three days ago, and I suspect I;ll be done with it by the time two more have passed.
The last time before this novel that Iencountered the word pendejo had been in a Cheech and Chong movie--Nice Dreams, maybe?--and I think that's amusing if not outright funny. But at different times during the book I've wondered whether someone of Hispanic background might not take offense at Ramon's sometime broadly-painted makeup.
On the other hand, it's interesting in what the authors have done with Ramon, because they immediately and in no uncertain terms give the reader reason to dislike and disrespect the protagonist, while nonetheless going on to slowly unravel the threads that reveal parts of Ramon's character which are likeable and respectable after all. Neat trick.
If I can fixate on GRRM for a bit, it almost reminds me of Jaime Lannister, althought the rehbilitation was more sudden for Jaime.
Anyway, seeing this post, I just figured I'd drop a post saying how much I was enjoying the book.
Rastronomicals (love that name btw!), thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts :) I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far and would love to hear your final thoughts...
Hunters Run was fabulous! Ramon Espejo is an exciting pendejo who you grow to love by the end of the story. I couldn't put it down. The story is flow and devoid of Aubre. The setting is very believable and familiar even though it is millions of light years from home. The Aliens are interesting and have a good back-story. Just enough to create a little sympathy for them. The Enye were a little neglected in detail, but some of that lent to their mystery. I hope that Ramon Espejo returns someday for another adventure. He's one tough son-of-a-bitch!
wish they would make sequel